Tailor Made

October 24, 2012

Buying clothes in Asia can be a real drag. In most stores around here they carry one size. And it ain’t my size. It’s tiny. I frequently have to buy large or extra large here. One shirt I have is XXXL. As a woman of 5’4″ and 130 pounds I’m used to buying mediums. Even sometimes in the petite section. Here I am Gigantor. Even my size 7 foot is frequently hard to shod. Can you imagine what Western women who are larger than me have to go through?
But we do have the option to get clothes made for us. However you have to know where to go. Luckily someone passed on the secret shop’s location to me. Okay, it’s not really a secret, but as the sign out front isn’t in English, and it is up some non-descript stairs, it feels like a secret. It is a medium sized store with a reasonable selection of materials. That can be the hardest part, finding the right material. I’ve heard some complaints from people who didn’t end up with what the wanted. But, I find the best thing is to take in an article of clothing that you like and get it copied. I’ve only done this a couple of times, but I’ve been quite happy. The long shorts I had copied two years ago are still holding up and get worn all the time. This last batch was a couple of shirts I love the cut of and a skirt I’ve had for 6 years now that really needs to get replaced. It does cost more than Wal-mart. But not necessarily more than a department store. And I already know that the style fits and is flattering, so it is worth it. Here are pics of the originals and the copies. Can you tell which is which?